Infant feeder basket

ABSTRACT

A basket is configured to hold infant feeding apparatus for cleaning, transport, and/or storage. The basket is partitioned to provide separate storage regions for different kinds of infant feeding apparatus such as bottles, bottle components, plates, bowls, cups, and utensils.

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/645,066, filed Jan. 19, 2005, whichis expressly incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to infant feeding apparatus, andparticularly to bottles, plates, and utensils for children. Moreparticularly, the present disclosure relates to carriers for infantfeeding apparatus.

SUMMARY

According to the present disclosure, a basket is configured to holdinfant feeding apparatus for cleaning, transport, and/or storage. Thebasket is partitioned to provide separate storage regions for differentkinds of infant feeding apparatus such as bottles, bottle components,plates, bowls, cups, and utensils. The basket can be filled with suchapparatus and placed in a dishwasher so that any bottles, bottlecomponents, plates, bowls, cups, utensils, etc. stored in the basket canbe cleaned. Once items in the basket are cleaned, the basket (with theitems organized onboard) can be carried to and stored in a cabinet forlater use.

Additional features of the present disclosure will become apparent tothose skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detaileddescription of illustrative embodiments exemplifying the best mode ofcarrying out the disclosure as presently perceived.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The detailed description particularly refers to the accompany figures inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a basket in accordance with a firstembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the basket of FIG. 1 after it has beenopened to show various separate storage regions for components includedin a baby bottle;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a portion of a kitchen showing babybottle components carried and organized in baskets of the typeillustrated in FIG. 1 and showing baskets containing baby bottlecomponents in a dishwasher and in a cabinet;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a basket in accordance with a secondembodiment of the present disclosure showing feeder trays and bottlecomponents in the basket; and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a basket in accordance with a thirdembodiment of the present disclosure showing a plate, a bowl, bottlecomponents, and a set of utensils in the basket.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A basket 10 is configured to hold components of several baby bottles 12as suggested in FIGS. 1 and 2. Basket 10 can be used to organize,transport, and store these components and can be placed in a dishwasheror a cabinet as suggested in FIG. 3. A basket 110 in accordance withanother embodiment of the present disclosure is shown in FIG. 4. Assuggested in FIG. 5, a basket 210 in accordance with yet anotherembodiment of the present disclosure is configured to hold all itemsused to feed a child during one meal.

Basket 10 includes a first panel 12 coupled to a mating second panel 14(in any suitable manner) for pivotable movement about a pivot axis 16between a closed position shown in FIG. 1 and an opened position shownin FIG. 2. It is within the scope of this disclosure to employ anysuitable non-pivoting connectors for mating second panel 14 to firstpanel 12. A first handle portion 18 is coupled to first panel 12 and asecond handle portion 19 is coupled to second panel 14. Handle portions18, 19 cooperate to form a carrying handle 20 when panels 12, 14 aremoved to assume the closed position. Any suitable releasable lockmechanism 22 can be coupled to (or formed in) panels 12, 14 or handleportions 18, 19 to retain panels 12, 14 in the closed position shown inFIG. 1. Panels 12, 14 and handle portions 18, 19 may be made of aplastics material or any suitable sturdy material.

As suggested, for example, in FIG. 2, each panel 12, 14 is formed toinclude first, second, third, and fourth storage regions 101, 102, 103,and 104. These regions are aligned with one another when first andsecond panels 12, 14 are mated with one another as suggested in FIG. 1.

In the illustrated embodiment, a baby bottle 24 includes an open-endedsleeve 25, a closure base 26, a nipple 27, and a nipple mount 28. Sleeve25 includes a top opening 29 and a bottom opening 30. First and secondpanels 12, 14 cooperate to define, for example, four separate storagecompartments 201, 202, 203, and 204 when they are moved to the closedposition shown in FIG. 1. First storage compartment 201 holds threebottle sleeves 25. Second storage compartment 202 holds three bottleclosure bases 26. Third storage compartment 203 holds three nipples 27.Fourth storage compartment 204 holds four nipple mounts 28. A firstcut-out 31 formed in first panel 12 cooperates with a second cut-out 32formed in second panel 14 to form an aperture 36 receiving a necked-downportion 38 of nipple 27 therein to retain nipple 27 in a selectedposition in third storage compartment 203 in spaced-apart relation tobottle sleeve 25 when basket panels 12, 14 are closed as shown inFIG. 1. When placed in a dishwasher as suggested in FIG. 3, cleaningwater is able to flow easily through apertures formed in first andsecond panels 12, 14 and around sleeves 25 and clean closure bases 26,nipples 27, and nipple mounts 28 while those components are carried andorganized in basket 10.

As suggested by arrow 105 in FIG. 3, after “use” baby bottles 24 can bedisassembled and organized in basket 10 and placed in a dishwasher 40 tobe cleaned. Once cleaned, basket 10 can be used as suggested by arrow106 to carry those components to cabinet 42 and store them in anorganized and easy-to-access manner in cabinet 42. Then, at feedingtime, basket 10 can be removed from cabinet 42 and placed on acountertop 44. Then basket 10 can be opened to remove bottle componentsso that those components can be assembled to produce bottles 24.

Infant feeding apparatus basket 10 comprises a first panel 12 formed toinclude separate first, second, and third storage regions 101, 102, 103,104 and a second panel 14 formed to include separate first, second,third, and fourth storage regions 101, 102, 103, 104. Basket 10 alsoincludes means for coupling first panel 12 to second panel 14 forpivotable movement about a pivot axis 16 between a closed position(shown in FIG. 1) mating the first and second panels 12, 14 to alignfirst storage region 101 of first and second panels 12, 14 with oneanother to produce a bottle sleeve storage compartment 201, to alignsecond storage region 102 of first and second panels 12, 14 with oneanother to produce a bottle closure base storage compartment 202, toalign third storage region 103 of first and second panels 12, 14 withone another to produce a nipple storage compartment 203, and to alignfourth storage region 104 of first and second panels 12, 14 with oneanother to produce a nipple mount storage compartment 204 and an openedposition (shown in FIG. 2) unmating first and second panels 12, 14 toallow movement of bottle sleeves 25, bottle closure bases 26, nipples27, and nipple mounts 28 into and out of first, second, third, andfourth regions 101, 102, 103, 104 formed in first and second panels 12,14 to wash any bottle sleeves 25, bottle closure bases 26, nipples 27,and nipple mounts 28 contained therein during exposure of first andsecond panels 12, 14 to dishwashing water while basket 10 is placed in adishwasher during a dishwashing cycle.

In use, as suggested in FIG. 1, at least two bottle sleeves 25 arelocated in the bottle sleeve storage compartment 201 following movementof first and second panels 12, 14 to assume the closed position and atleast two bottle closure bases 26 are located in bottle closure basestorage compartment 202 following movement of first and second panels12, 14 to assume the closed position. Also, at least two nipples 27 arelocated in nipple storage compartment 203 following movement of firstand second panels 12, 14 to assume the closed position as suggested inFIG. 1 and at least two nipple mounts 28 are located in nipple mountstorage compartment 204 following movement of first and second panels12, 14 to assume the closed position.

1. An infant feeding apparatus basket comprising a first panel formed toinclude separate first, second, and third storage regions, a secondpanel formed to include separate first, second, third, and fourthstorage regions, and means for coupling the first panel to the secondpanel for pivotable movement about a pivot axis between a closedposition mating the first and second panels to align the first storageregions of the first and second panels with one another to produce abottle sleeve storage compartment, to align the second storage regionsof the first and second panels with one another to produce a bottleclosure base storage compartment, to align the third storage regions ofthe first and second panels with one another to produce a nipple storagecompartment, and to align the fourth storage regions of the first andsecond panels with one another to produce a nipple mount storagecompartment and an opened position unmating the first and second panelsto allow movement of bottle sleeves, bottle closure bases, nipples, andnipple mounts into and out of the first, second, third, and fourthregions formed in the first and second panels to wash any bottlesleeves, bottle closure bases, nipples, and nipple mounts containedtherein during exposure of the first and second panels to dishwashingwater while the basket is placed in a dishwasher during a dishwashingcycle.
 2. The basket of claim 1, further comprising at least two bottlesleeves located in the bottle sleeve storage compartment followingmovement of the first and second panels to assume the closed position.3. The basket of claim 1, further comprising at least two bottle closurebases located in the bottle closure base storage compartment followingmovement of the first and second panels to assume the closed position.4. The basket of claim 1, further comprising at least two nippleslocated in the nipple storage compartment following movement of thefirst and second panels to assume the closed position.
 5. The basket ofclaim 1, further comprising at least two nipple mounts located in thenipple mount storage compartment following movement of the first andsecond panels to assume the closed position.